Don't Look Back
by LowLevelMidge
Summary: When Marie Anderson's family move to Morganville, she wasn't sure what to expect. Between her fathers mysterious new employer, and keeping her family safe from their evil protector, she's got her work cut out for her. Slighty AU, but not too much :)
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Marie Anderson's family moves to Morganville when she's seven. Her father received a job offer, he couldn't refuse but he never realized what came with the benefits. With the only person in town she feels she can trust the friendly hippy who owns the coffee shop, and her horrible excuse for a protector Brandon breathing down her and her siblings necks, Marie will struggle to keep her ever shrinking family safe.**

**Authors note: so I do love this series, and I thought why not give writing a short fic a go. So here is the prologue, hope you enjoy, and as always I own nothing, it all belongs to Rachel Caine. Also not going to lie, this is about as AU as it gets, I make no apologies for being incredibly loose with the cannon. **

**-0-0-0-**

The heat from the sweltering midday sun fell heavily across Marie's shoulder. The youngest of three children, she was the only member of the back seat of the rental car still awake. The six hour time difference meant it was six in the afternoon for the family, and combined with a full day of travelling the jet lag had left her older siblings passed out and drooling. Her mother turned back to look at her from the front seat as they pulled off the highway into a beaten up and rusty looking petrol station. Or at least that's what Marie called it in her head, the sign above the entrance proclaimed it as a gas station.

"Does anyone need the loo back there," wearing a tired optimistic smile Sue Anderson regarded the three fair heads of her young children, with a three year gap between each of them they had all reacted to the move very differently. Her oldest child Billy was thirteen, he had been annoyed at first, but Mark his father had sat him down and explained the reasons they were emigrating. After which he had if not been thrilled at least warmed up a little to the idea. Contrastingly, her middle child Irene had reacted appallingly, being that she was the most headstrong of the three, she had complained for weeks. When she finally realized that complaining wouldn't really work, she had resorted to silent sulking. As it was Irene hadn't responded to a question in a fortnight. The most she had spoken had been the day before when in a last ditch attempt at black mail she had threatened to tell the people at the airport that they were kidnapping her, before storming out of the house and hiding for three hours before her father managed to find her. Of her three children Marie had taken the news the easiest, she had been excited by the prospect of an adventure, until the day before at least. She had said a final farewell to her best friend and had been crying on and off ever since.

Marie shook her head, "Are we nearly there?"

"We should be in Morganville in a few hours," said Mark opening the door to the car and letting in a wave of heat awash with the sound of the insects and dust.

"You want another chocolate bar poodle," Sue held up a bag of goodies from the last rest stop in an attempt to coax a smile from her youngest daughter. Marie shook her head, she had learnt already in the short time she had been in the Texas that American chocolate was nothing at all like its English counterpart.

"It tastes like puke," said Irene, opening her eyes and glaring at their mother, "I don't like America, I don't like the people, and I really don't like the chocolate!"

"Shut up Ria," Billy opened his eyes to fix her with a glare, "you're being a baby."

"Don't tell me to shut up William..."

Marie rolled her eyes and gazed back out into the open scrubland surrounding the highway. The bickering between her siblings continued until her mother managed to eventually force the two into an uneasy truce. She gave it maybe twenty minutes to half an hour before it would begin again. The small bar of sunlight coming through the window was expanding, and Marie realized she would soon start getting a sunburn on her shoulder, she honestly felt that they couldn't get to Morganville soon enough.

**-0-0-0-**

They had been in town a week, when Marie and Irene wondered into Common Grounds. Billy followed them in somewhat reluctantly as they gazed around the buzzing shop. It was packed out with college students in their twenties and the laughter and conversation coming from the people around them filled Marie with a slight sense of unease. She hadn't felt right since coming to this town.

A day or two after they'd moved in, their parents had sat them down and introduced them to their new friend Brandon. Marie didn't like him. She didn't like his creepy smile, especially not when he had turned his gaze on Billy, and Marie new her brother didn't like it either. She didn't like the nervousness and fear that she had seen in her parents, the whispered conversations in the kitchen when they thought the children were asleep. The tightness in her mother's eyes and around her smile, made Marie's stomach turn. More than all of that though, she hated the small metal bracelet she wore around her wrist, but she wasn't allowed to take it off, Billy had seen her wondering around the house without it on and had shouted at her till she cried.

"Hurry up Ria we need to get back," said Billy impatiently, "I promised mum we'd be home in twenty minutes."

"We'll be quick," replied the ten year old grabbing hold of Marie's hand and pulling her towards the counter, she looked at her younger sister and smiled, "What do you want pretty?"

"What's a frappacino like?" asked Marie smiling back.

"You're too young for coffee," said Billy coming forward.

"No she's not," snapped Sophia glaring, "what flavour do you want?"

They had been surprisingly friendly towards one another over the last week or so. There bickering had been put on hold as soon as bracelets had touched their wrists. It was the most united she had ever seen the two of them, especially when it came to Brandon. Still there was bound to be a time when their rightful animosity would resurface.

"You know what," said Marie staring up at the big menu board behind the counter, "I think I'd prefer a cup of tea."

As Billy edged forward in the line Marie found her gaze diverted to an object at the side of the room. It was a table with a box of musty books, and she couldn't resist the pull to investigate.

"I'll be right back," Marie promised as she wandered over to take a closer look, and Irene seeing where she was going waved her off with a smile as she and Billy got back to arguing over whether or not Irene was too young for coffee, even though Billy new full well that Irene had never been too young for anything.

The box was filled with falling apart paperbacks making up an odd mixture of fiction and non-fiction. After a few minutes of looking through Marie had seen some interesting blurbs, her favourite looking one being a faded fantasy novel with a picture of a dragon on the front.

"Are you alright there?" asked a warm voice and Marie found herself looking up at a man a little older than her father with touches of grey in his long hair and trustworthy eyes.

"I was just looking at the books," said Marie smiling back at him, "Do you know why they're here?"

"There for people to read whilst they're drinking their coffee's," his eyes flicked down to the book in her hand, "That's a big one you picked, there are no pictures in it."

"Why would that matter?" she asked, bristling at the insult to her intelligence.

He cracked a smile at her and Marie glared back, unwilling to let her annoyance go.

"My apologies," he said gently, and she felt herself relenting, "My name is Oliver, and this is my coffee house."

Marie shook his offered hand.

"I'm Marie Anderson," she replied, and remembering her manners added, "it's a very nice coffee house."

"Thank you," his eyes took on a strange glitter, "I'm glad it meets your approval, your families just moved into town hasn't it?"

Marie nodded regarding him strangely as she finally recognized what she trusted about him.

"You're from England like us," she exclaimed a big smile on her face, "You say your "t's" right."

"Yes I am, that's very perceptive of you to notice," he rubbed a hand through his long hair scratching his scalp, "although I will admit it's a long time since I've been back to the mother country."

"Do you miss it?" she asked him, fiddling awkwardly with the book in her hands.

"Sometimes I suppose," he replied, blandly his eyes diverting to her brother and sister at the counter.

"I miss drizzle," confided Marie awkwardly, "it doesn't really rain here."

"It does sometimes," he reassured her, "I believe your siblings are ready to go Marie."

"Oh," she gasped, looking over to where Billy was taking their drinks from the counter, and down at the book in her hands. She had quite wanted to read it and it disappointed her to put it back.

"Borrow the book," said Oliver smiling down at her, "You can return it once you've finished."

Marie felt her whole face light up as she grasped it to her chest.

"Thank you so, so much!" she exclaimed, her gaze darting back to Irene who had turned back to look for her. When she caught sight of Oliver her eyes narrowed and a tightness crept onto her face.

"It was lovely to meet you," said Marie politely before heading towards her sisters side.

"A pleasure my dear," he replied smiling warmly at her siblings, "stay safe."

**-0-0-0-**

When the three returned home it was to the smell of spices filling the house. Billy hustled his two younger sisters inside making sure there was no one following before closing the door, it may have been an hour before dusk but he knew he had to be vigilant.

"Mummy," exclaimed Marie, rushing into the kitchen where Sue stood at the stove stirring a giant pot of chilli, "Mummy, we went to the coffee shop and the man let me have a book about dragons look..."

Sue turned to her and smiled warmly wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

"That's wonderful poodle," she exclaimed pushing her back gently, "why don't you all take your new things upstairs."

It was then Marie noticed the tightness in her mother's posture, and her brother and sister stood awkwardly at the door. Irene was half behind Billy, who was openly glaring at the kitchen table. Marie turned her head slightly to see her parents new friend Brandon sprawled lazily on his chair with an easy grin on his face.

"And then you can all come back down and join us for dinner," said their Protector.

"Oh, no don't worry, dinner won't be ready for a while," Sue pushed her hair nervously behind her ear, "we really must wait for Andrew to come back before we eat."

"He won't be back till late tonight," the smirk on Brandon's face made Marie's stomach turn, "it wouldn't be right for a seven year old to have dinner so late, you'd find yourself getting awfully hungry wouldn't you Marie."

Brandon didn't even look at her when he spoke, his eyes flicked between her mothers and her brothers. They were so cold inside it made her want to shiver.

"We eat as a family in this house," said Billy holding out his hand for Marie to come over to him, "even if it means we eat late. Marie, go upstairs with Irene."

"Bill..." Irene quieted when Billy put a calming hand on her shoulder and beckoned to Marie once again. Following his lead she held out her hand to her younger sister.

Marie moved away from her mother and walked towards Irene, when she was half way there Brandon stood up in a flash. Billy jumped forward and her mother moved to grab her but both were frozen at a glare from the man. Marie observed that they were literally frozen unable to move. Slowly she looked up at him as he came around the table to stand in front of her. The full force of his smirk lit his face and Marie knew for certain then what she had already suspected. He was pure evil.

"Stop," she commanded, she felt hate twist in her stomach as she met his cruel gaze, he leant back against the table crossing his arms over his chest and letting out a small laugh.

"And who are you to give me orders child," he didn't move but Marie felt a force pulling at her, telling her to walk towards him, to do as he told her. She ignored it.

"You will stop," Marie felt the force of his will pushing against her, and she mustered what strength she had to push back, "You will stop this right now."

Something snapped and he staggered just a little, seconds later her brother grabbed her arm and pushed her into Irene's hands. Her sisters arms encircled her as she pulled her out of the room dragging her up the staircase. Through the doorway she saw her mother standing by Billy the sharpened end of a wooden spoon pointed at the monster in her kitchen.

"Leave," Sue's voice came out a growl, "you have your taxes from Andrew and I, you will not terrorize our children."

"Come on darling," he said, his words thick with charm, "it was just a bit of fun, I would never harm such a precious little creature."

"We don't appreciate your sense of humour," Billy's anger was making him shake a little, "Get..."

Brandon cut him off, "I would think very carefully before you finish that sentence boy. You may not appreciate my humour, but I am quite certain you appreciate my protection. I own each and every resident of this house, and it is by my grace alone that you sleep safely in your beds at night."

There was silence as Marie pulled on Irene's hand making her stop at the top of the stairs so they could listen to the rest of the conversation. Irene hesitated a moment before pushing her further onto the landing into her bedroom. As curious as she might have been Irene knew the safety of her little sister came first.

Downstairs Brandon leant forward and clasped Sue's hand in his, knocking the suddenly pathetic seeming stake aside, as Billy bit back the growl forming in his throat.

"Now Sue, why don't you put on some rice, that chilli smells absolutely delicious to me, Billy have a seat and tell me all about how your family is settling into our lovely town."

**-0-0-0-**

The car moved slowly through the midday traffic as Marie gazed down at her lap, her mum had taken the three of them to an appointment with the local dentist, and as such it meant they would have the rest of the afternoon off school. Irene stared happily out the window, an air of relaxation in her smile that Marie hadn't seen in months. The dentist had talked about referring her to an orthodontist for the braces she needed and their fathers new job had the insurance to cover them. Her mother in the front seemed a little nervous as they drove along the main road past the turning to their home. Billy in the front seat he'd claimed was so tense his shoulders shook, but then he was always like that now days.

Five minutes later the traffic thinned out and they were headed towards the town limits. Sophia looked around in confusion before a grin lit up her face.

"We're lea..."

"Quiet Ria," said Billy evenly, his voice cracking a little as he glanced around the empty highway.

"What about dad?" Irene asked, her voice seemed small and afraid suddenly. No one answered and Marie glanced at her family in confusion. They reached the town limits and something prickled at the back of her neck.

"Mum drive faster," said Marie, fear creeping into her tone.

"We don't want to attract attention to ourselves sweetheart," her mother said gently, trying her best to sound reassuring. Marie glanced out the back and saw a police cruiser behind them as they cleared the border out of town.

"Mum go faster now," Marie shouted, and as Sue caught sight of the cop car in her rear view mirror, a look of grim determination hit her face and her foot slammed the accelerator.

**-0-0-0-**

**End Note: So there's the prologue, leave a review and let me know what you think. hopefully they'll be more soon :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter, hopefully you'll like it, I own nothing and all that :)  
-0-0-0-**

The hospital waiting room was cold. That was what was the most distinctive part of it to Marie, not the grimy and greasy old magazines piled in the corner, not the TV suspended from the wall displaying the news of an upcoming election. The vending machine with its brightly lit confectionary was similarly of little interest, almost as little as the long cut along the back of her wrist which hand five small stitches in it. It was from where she'd raised her hands to cover her face when the car window had smashed. It was the cold that had seeped into her bones with one look in the police officers too red eyes. The scream from her mother that had been abruptly cut short.

"Billy's with her," whispered Irene's voice in her ear frantically trying to awaken some response in her younger sister, she squeezed her hand tightly, clinging onto some sense of hope, "He won't let anything happen to her, he'll protect her."

Another desperate squeeze and Marie could almost have winced, it was the tightest her sister could manage, but the bruises around Irene's upper arm were testament to how much tighter the grip of a monster was.

"And dad will be here soon," her voice cracked a little, "dad will come, and he'll protect us, he will. They need him."

The cold intensified and Marie tried her hardest to latch onto it, she grabbed onto the ice pulling it closer to her, calling it to her with a voice she rarely used.

"Ria," it was hard to speak, when she was concentrating on the coldness, "you need to go and get a cup of hot chocolate from the machines at the end of the hallway. You need to go now."

Irene stilled her in her seat going rigid, "What?"

"Please," whispered Marie turning to look into her eyes, they were a clear grey, like smudged charcoal, "please, please go get some, the chocolate will make it better."

**-0-0-0-**

Irene stared blankly at the machine, it had taken her too long to find it. Marie had said it was at the end of the hallway, but when she'd asked the nurse it had been through a maze of corridors that took her away from the waiting room, closer to the intensive care unit. The machine was at a cross road between two corridors, and what was worse was the fact it was out of hot chocolate. As she was about to turn to head back Irene stopped dead, his voice came floating down the hallway, he was just around the corner.

"She's too old to adjust to life here," his tone was slimy, the way lawyers always spoke on court TV, Brandon, "I know you need the scientist, and the rest of the family will learn. She's been difficult from the moment they arrived, better to just remove the threat."

"To deprive three young children of their mother Brandon," the voice was emotionless, uncaring. It sent a shiver of ice down Irene's spine, "That's a great cruelty."

"She's a corrupting influence," hate, it filled her up every time he spoke, it was all consuming, "better she not wake up, for the sake of the town. She committed a crime, surely this would be the kindest punishment."

"A kindness indeed," the voice was resigned, tinged with almost a hint of regret but Irene knew the woman felt none of it, not truly. Determination melted away the ice as her spine straightened she knew then she had to do something, "You are right, a crime has been committed, and the towns laws must be upheld."

"Yes," said Irene her voice clear as she turned the corner and walked down to confront the pair discussing her mother's fate. Brandon jumped a little in shock turning to face her. The woman with him gave little reaction other than to tilt her head slightly to regard Irene with an impassive face, like she had known she was there all along, "You're right a crime has been committed, but it was not on the part of my mother."

"Irene," Brandon's voice was almost a hiss, "You shouldn't be here."

"I am not talking to you," said Irene pointedly ignoring him and fixing her gaze on the woman, "I am speaking to you, you're the one in charge aren't you."

"That I am child," her gaze met Irene's and in it was only one thing she could identify, power, the power of the arctic as it crept over mountains, of glaciers as they crushed and reshaped the land.

"You see what I mean Founder," hissed Brandon quietly, "the woman has taught them no respect, they need..."

She held up her hand and Brandon stilled immediately, it was the same way he had stilled them all in the kitchen, all accept Marie.

"What is it you wish to say Irene?" She found her feet walking forward until she stood before this strange woman, in her mind she couldn't decide whether she was a god or a demon. Perhaps some sort of Pagan deity would have been more appropriate, an entity neither good or bad.

"Protection," said Irene putting as much force into her voice as she could, "That's the premise all relationships in this town are founded on correct."

The woman made no response so Irene continued, "in return for a small tax on the blood of your adult," she stressed that word particularly, "residents."

The founder regarded her coolly, and Brandon let out a low growl in the back of his throat.

"Contracts are signed by consenting adults," said Irene quietly, "would it not be stated as an abuse of that contract, if either of those stipulations were ignored."

"Those under the age of sixteen, are automatically protected from such things are they not ma'am?"

"Say what you mean," said the woman, her voice had a strange chill to it, as if an anger was bubbling underneath the surface. Irene almost flinched at that, she may have been smarter than most of the high school population, but she was still only ten years old.

"My thirteen year old brother has two bite marks on his left shoulder," her voice was steady as she gazed at the woman, "something that should not have occurred being that he is legally below the age of consent, and since he is protected. What reason has my mother to try and escape, to abandon her husband, other than to protect her children from an abuse which never should have occurred. This breach can be lain entirely at Brandon's feet. He is the one to blame for this whole situation, and murdering my mother as he would suggest," Irene's voice cracked, "Trust me when I say it will do nothing to resolve it."

The woman's face softened, "you speak very well, for one so young," a barely heard sigh escaped her lips.

"Will you leave my mother alone?" she asked ignoring the compliment, the woman shot her a glare and Irene's tongue stilled. Brandon was glaring daggers at her an ugly scowl twisting his face but he seemed to know it would be best to keep his mouth shut.

"Yes child your mother will live," said the woman quietly, Irene let out a sigh of relief as the woman began to turn away.

"And him," her eyes remained steadfastly on the woman's face, unwilling to acknowledge the monster at her side, "will you make sure he behaves like a protector is supposed to?"

The woman stilled a little and she was once again met by the full force of her gaze, it was like being crushed under an avalanche. The woman's mouth twisted a little in disgust.

"On that Irene, you have my word," her eyes snapped to the side as the force of her glare fell on Brandon. He visibly flinched, "Come Brandon, it seems we have much to discuss."

**-0-0-0-**

Irene stood in the doorway of the waiting room, Marie was curled up across two chairs cradling her wrist to her chest, she looked exhausted and she supposed the shock and stress of the day must have caught up to her. As she watched Marie lifted her head weekly and smiled.

"It's all going to be ok now isn't it."

She took a seat next to her sister, wearily handing her a cup of hot chocolate as Marie's face lit up.

"You did it," she exclaimed looking up at her sister with adoring eyes.

"Of course pretty," said Irene, tiredness creeping into her voice, "you know I'd never let you down."

"Oh? did she say anything?"

"They're going to keep mum asleep tonight, and try to wake her up tomorrow, and dad called he's on his way."

Marie shifted a little in her seat so that she was sat upright.

"Are you ok?" it was a whisper in Irene's ear, and the concern in Marie's voice tugged a little somewhere below her ribs.

A faint smile formed on her lips as she placed her hand over her sisters tiny fingers and gave them a reassuring squeeze.

"Yes I think I am," she said quietly before turning her head to look into innocent wide eyes, "And yes Marie, I think it really will be more than ok, I think things might get better here."

**-0-0-0-**

**More when I write it, feel free to review if you wanna :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**wasn't too sure where i was going with this, but i've figured out what i want to do now. I made some changes so hope you enjoy and all. It might get a bit dark so...  
I own nothing at all :)**

**-0-0-0-**

Marie took a sip of her thick chocolate milk shake as the words on the page flipped over, side-ways and backwards. They kept on chasing each other around her head with no regard for logic or order. It seemed an exploration on string theory had not been the best choice of reading material. The sciences were where Irene excelled. In a misguided attempt to join in the conversations between her father and older sister at the dinner table, Marie had decided to try the non-fiction section of the common grounds book box. Unfortunately despite her best intentions, theoretical physics went right over her nine year old head.

"Any luck?" asked a friendly voice behind her shoulder. Marie spared a quick glance up into the kind eyes of the owner of the coffee shop and smiled despite her frustration.

"I still don't understand what any of it has to do with strings," she slid the book away from her in annoyance and the pages flipped closed, "It just makes no sense."

"You know I've got a great new book in," a wry smile crept across Oliver's face as he sat down slowly in the seat beside her, "I think you'd really enjoy it, it's a historical fantasy about King Arthur and the knights of the round table."

"You've had it in there a month, I read it three weeks ago," she twirled her straw round the ice at the bottom of her cup, "and I need to start reading more serious books, fiction is for babies."

Oliver leant back in his chair and regarded her with the slightest touch of a frown.

"Fiction is not for babies," his tone was edging on serious, considering how rarely he was anything resembling serious around her it made Marie straighten up a little in her seat, "Fiction is where you find the greater truths that science and philosophy could never hope to explain or understand... and I picked this one up yesterday."

She felt herself pouting a little at being told off and fiddled moodily with the side of the paper back on the table. The pages slapped lightly against each other with a faint zipping sound.

"And Merlin has a dragon..." Marie's head snapped up to watch Oliver swallow a grin.

"A dragon...?" He nodded solemnly in response and Marie quickly looked away throwing her eyes out the window onto the scorched spring street with an annoyed huff. In doing so she missed the amused grin that spread across the face of the first friend she had made in Morganville, two and a half long years previously.

The book box at the coffee shop had been the first thing to catch her eye and it had dragged her back there so often that Marie had become more than a regular. She had her own table in the corner where she would sit and read the most interesting books that found their way into her little library, and on an almost daily basis Oliver would pop his head into her solitude. Sometimes if the shop was quiet like it was that day, he would sit and talk with her a while asking about her book and her life, sometimes suggesting a novel for her to try. Occasionally she would come in to see a new paper-back waiting for her on the table. Other days if the shop was busy he would stop by and say a quick 'hello' and if he was in a really good mood he'd drop her off a milk-shake she hadn't ordered on the house.

Settling in at school had been tough, and it hadn't been home she'd gone every day after six hours of hard work and rejection. She would walk in to the coffee shop tired and sad, and grab a book to sulk in her corner and within fifteen minutes of her arrival he'd come over with a smile and some quick story to cheer her up before sending her on her way back home before it got too late. Occasionally he'd deposit a couple of cookies on her table in a small white paper bag, before sending her off with strict instructions to share them with her brother and sister and to give his regards to her parents.

"I wish dragons were real," said Marie turning back to look at him.

"Stranger things exist in this town," his eyes seemed ancient as an odd thought pulled at the edge of his lips. Marie often thought he was the wisest person she knew, "who's to say they're not."

"If they were real," Marie leant forward her voice dropping to a whisper as she glanced around nervously, "If dragons were real they could protect us from them... from him."

A small frown crept onto Oliver's forehead his hand tightening barely perceptibly on his chair arm.

"Has he been giving you trouble again? I told you to tell me if he was..."

"No, no he hasn't done anything..." said Marie shaking her head so quickly that a bit of her hair ended up smacking against her glass, "It's just... he's just... evil... and he's always there."

"Come on now Marie don't be silly. Richard Morrell isn't evil," he said earnestly, "he's just a rebellious teenage boy. You don't need a dragon to protect you from him."

"I'm not worried about me," she exclaimed sending him a glare, "I'm worried about Billy. I'm worried Rich will get him in trouble and if he gets in trouble then... then..."

"Marie," Oliver's voice was gentle as he slid her empty milkshake glass away from her, "Your brothers cleverer than you give him credit for, he'll be fine. Richard is from a good family they know the way things work here. The pair of them will get through their rebellious phase without too much incident."

"I just don't want them to give Brandon a reason to hurt him," the bracelet on her wrist felt cold against her skin as her eyes darted nervously around. Marie hadn't seen the monster in over six months. He had stopped by to menace her family a little and lord his protection over their heads, something he did every once in a while. Despite the fact that it was two o'clock on a Sunday afternoon and she was well aware he couldn't come out before dark, Marie still felt nervous even mentioning his name.

"Hey," said Oliver with a reassuring smile, "I promised I'd keep you as safe from Brandon as I could. If he ever tries to hurt you, you call me straight away you understand."

"Thank you," she looked up at him with a sad smile, "but what can you really do, he's one of them, and humans like you and me, we have no chance against them. I don't want you to get hurt Oliver, I don't want anyone to get hurt."

Oliver let out a wary sigh and leant back in his chair, his eyes shadowed in the dark corner, he still had a hold of her glass and he fiddled absentmindedly with the edge of it.

"Don't worry about me, I'm stronger than I look," the kindness in his eyes made Marie doubt it. Oliver always appeared so gentle to her, there wasn't a person around who didn't seem to respect or like him, but being well liked wasn't strong enough protection in Morganville.

"How do you manage to keep them off your back so well?" asked Marie with a small frown.

"I have my ways," he grasped onto her cup as he made to stand up, "how about I go grab you that book and bring you over another milk shake huh?"

"It's ok I'll look through the box," the door jingled as a group of students jostled in and her friend was called away. Slipping off her chair Marie went to rummage through her little library. She deposited the compendium of modern physics gently back down and scanned the titles looking for the book of Arthurian legends that Oliver had suggested. Her eyes instead fell on a small book with a dark blue cover. The writing on it was printed in silver and the patterns down the cracked spine caught her interest. There were no words on the back and the pages were a yellowing colour. Out of curiosity she opened it. _'The Morganville Survival Guide' _was scrolled across the second page and Marie gulped uneasily. Glancing around the quiet shop she saw Oliver up at the counter taking the College kids order, he saw her looking and gave her an open friendly smile. Marie smiled back trying not to look guilty and glanced away fast when he broke eye contact.

Had he known the book was in his box, wondered Marie uneasily, she almost immediately decided he couldn't have, Oliver would never do something so silly. If a vampire had found it in there he would have been in serious trouble. She gulped glancing down at the dangerous object in her hand. Had someone planted it in there to get him in trouble. It seemed like the sort of horrible thing that someone would do and if a person found it and reported him... Marie realized it would be better if he didn't know the book existed since it was almost impossible to lie to a vampire. She returned to her table and quickly slipped the book into her rucksack. If she didn't tell him it had been in there then he could truthfully deny all knowledge of its existence and hopefully that would keep him safe. You had to look out for your friends in Morganville, even if they'd never know you had done so.

She grabbed her bag and slung it over her shoulder heading towards the exit, as she passed the college students they were laughing loudly at something the barrister had said. Marie waved quickly at him and made to leave.

"Marie," he called out, the barest hint of accusation in his voice, she stopped staring at him with innocent eyes, "You forgot your milk-shake."

He pushed the plastic cup across the counter towards her, and she picked it up gingerly wondering how he'd known she'd be taking it to go. He threw her a big smile and she immediately relaxed, his smile always made her feel like he was a guardian angel looking out for her.

"It's on the house, give my best to your folks," he told her warmly as one of the college kids began to shift impatiently at the delay in him taking their order.

"Thank you, I will do," said Marie readjusting the bag on her shoulder and heading out the door, she didn't want to cause him trouble with his customers.

**-0-0-0-**

Irene swung slowly back and forth on the tyre-swing. It was in the front garden of their house and it had a great view up and down the street. From it she could watch Marie turn the corner to the start of their block, and clearly witnessed her pausing by their neighbours bin to throw something plastic in. It was about three in the afternoon and there was the faintest rustle of a breeze on the too hot day. It tugged lightly at her hair as she tapped her foot on thin air.

On that particular Sunday afternoon she was thirteen years and two months old, but Irene felt far older. She also felt guilty. Slowly she let out a deep breath as she watched her sister make her way down the road. Marie halted often, stopping to stare at a patch of the sidewalk as if it held the answers she had been searching for, for many years, or walking the wrong way a little to commune with the neighbours scraggly cat.

Tybalt the grouchy tabby, or Sir Tibbles as Marie referred to him was the least friendly animal in the neighbourhood. An attempt to stroke him would be met by varying degrees of bites, scratches and occasionally flying excrement. Half the street was wary of him, including his owner, and the other half would actively cross the road to avoid the feline, even the late night hordes of maraudering un-dead gave him a wide birth. The only person who had ever managed to go near him unscathed was Marie. Tybalt would shamelessly rub against her legs and even role onto his back to allow her to stroke his underbelly, anyone who observed him around the girl would be completely shocked to discover the casual violence he could release on an unsuspecting passer-by. After a good three minutes of being scratched behind the ears the cat caught sight of a small unsuspecting rodent on the other side of the garden and snuck off to deliver death and judgement.

Her cotton top was feeling tight against her lightly perspiring skin and the rubber of the tyre swing dug into her stick thin upper thigh. When she'd sat down it had been so hot she thought it had burnt her but slowly it had cooled down. Now it was just warm against her skin. She checked the screen of her phone seeing if her friend Ellie had texted her back yet but there was no reply. The guilt gave a sharp tug under her ribs, but it was guilt born of fear not regret. Irene had figured out two years ago that fear was a lot easier to deal with than regret.

"Hey Marie," called Irene as she finally made her way across the lawn, "Where have you been all day? or should I even bother to ask?"

Marie glanced up at her looking fleetingly guilty, but the look was gone before it appeared.

"Common Grounds," she said shortly, "I tried to get my mind around a book on string theory but it just didn't make any sense."

"Theoretical physics isn't everyone's cup of tea pretty," Irene couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "At least you tried."

"When's dad home?" asked Marie leaning against the tree. At the mention of their father she felt a sharp stab of guilt, she had only changed a few numbers, just a slight alteration really...

"He got called in earlier, evidently his boss had some sort of emergency he needed help with," she tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice but it was hard. Her quiet Sunday afternoon was supposed to have been spent in the back garden with her father, they were working on building a transistor radio. Irene could have easily done it on her own, but it just wouldn't have been the same. It was their personal project and it had been put on hold again because of her dads temperamental employer, "He probably won't be home till late."

"That sucks," said Marie fiddling absentmindedly with the end of her pony-tail "is Billy in?"

"He's out with Rich," Irene shifted a little in annoyance, "he pulled up in that stupid car of his about an hour ago, Billy jumped in and they were out of here so fast they almost ran over Sir Tibbs."

Just a few small alterations, it was for the best really, it had been the right thing to do... hadn't it? It would just look like someone had made a mistake. A scowl split Marie's brow at the sound of Rich's name, Irene knew she really didn't like the boy, and she herself had to admit he was a bit of an arse, but he wasn't all bad.

"I really wish he wouldn't hang out with him so much," muttered Marie.

"Richards harmless," said Irene with a smile, "he's just a bit spoilt but I'm sure he'll turn out alright. Plus a Morrell is a good friend to have in this town."

"He's trouble Ria, we've don't need any more trouble!"

"You sound like an old woman sometimes," she joked despite how heavy her chest felt at that second, "why don't you go see if mum needs some help."

Marie shot her a parting glare before stamping off in an undignified huff, if there was one thing her sister hated, it was when someone didn't take her seriously. Irene felt a smile tug at her lips as she once again rested her arms on the top of the tyre. Slouching forward she returned to her thoughts. She tried to ignore the fear curling in the pit of her stomach, they wouldn't notice, it had been such a small change. They deserved it, after everything they had done.

**-0-0-0-**

The dinner table was quiet that night, Billy had stumbled in just after sunset smelling faintly of beer and their mother had hit the roof. With their father still not home from work at 9:30 in the evening, the air of tension at the table was palpable. Marie gently pushed her food around her plate and Irene avoided looking at anyone. On a night like tonight the slightest word would be enough to send their mothers fragile nerves into overdrive, and no one had the energy for a shouting match. The sound of the clock ticking was the only noise in the house until Mark Anderson shuffled wearily into the kitchen. He looked utterly exhausted, and it was only Sue who noticed the residual fear in her husband's eyes, it was hidden quickly before the children could see it. It must have been a difficult day at work.

"Daddy you're home," said Irene a smile splitting across her face as she jumped up from the table to give him a hug. "I think I figured out what was wrong with the circuit, the resistor was soldered in the wrong place, we'll have to re-do it. Do you think you can pick up some more mercury solution?"

"Ria, give him a little space he's tired," said Sue gently, and a look of relief spread over Marks face. He loved his daughters excitement as much as he loved her, but at that time he barely had the energy to talk, "Sit down Andy, I'll heat up your plate."

Mark sat down warily and smiled at his children, "the resistor, so silly of us to make that mistake. I'll bring some home from work tomorrow and we'll fix it huh Ria."

Irene's smile widened and she nodded in excitement, " do you think you'll be able to come home early tomorrow I mean especially since you had to work so late tonight?"

"I'll see what I can do," he couldn't promise anything, but it broke his heart to let her down, "how was everyone's day?"

Billy's eyes flicked warily too his mothers, but she seemed content not to tell his father about his indiscretion. He might have been thanking his luck at that second, but he would have been horrified to know that the reason Sue didn't bring his father into the situation was because she honestly didn't think Mark was in any state to deal with the families problems. She was the only one at the table who knew how close the man was to crumbling, and she was terrified.

Later that night as Marie opened up _'The Morganville Survival Guide' _and read it cover to cover by the faint light of an old torch, as Irene lay tossing and turning trying to smother the guilty fear in her belly, and as Billy smoked an illicit cigarette he'd gotten off of Richard through a small gap in his window, Mark lay with his head on Sue's chest and she stroked her fingers through his hair calming him as she would a child.

"He's getting more unstable," he admitted in the warm glow of the bedside lamp, "He's going to snap soon... and I don't know how to stop it."

**-0-0-0-**

**Anyone figured out who Mark Anderson's working for, or what Irene changed?**


End file.
